In some safety critical situations such as automotive braking applications, it is necessary that an actuator not be turned ON inadvertently. This means that the actuator must turn ON only when software initiates a turn ON condition and must remain OFF in all other conditions. When the actuator is controlled by an N-type metal oxide silicon (NMOS) power field effect transistor (FET) serving as the relay driver, the OFF condition should be ensured by a strong gate pull down current. To operate effectively and economically, the pull down current should be active under any phase of operation, have a low overall quiescent current and be able to operate in a harsh automotive environment that includes fast battery transients and inductive switching that can result in voltage levels of 40V and −25V.